Saturday, June 4, 2011

A Journey’s Highlights

Sossusvlei, Namibia

This surreal desert landscape is sublime and is likely to be one of my first i revisit. Bring a tent and stay for a week!

Cape Peninsula, South Africa

The end of the African continent boasts beautiful National Parklands boasting huge biodiversity if flora second to none.

Gansbaii, South Africa

The place to share the ocean with Great White sharks. To view these adept killers is an amazing experience

Ilha de Mocambique, Mozambique

A genuine working town and a sublime historical feast showing Portuguese colonial architecture at its finest.

Ibo Island, Mozambique

A surreal island – just like a film set!

Cape Maclear, Malawi

A piece of paradise on Lake Malawi.

Vwaza, Malawi

Little visited and cheap as chips, watch elephants come to bathe at sunset.

Ngorogoro Crater, Tanzania

If you are going to do any one safari in Africa, it’s hard to beat the diversity found here.

Parc National des Volcan

Viewing the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat was the most exhilarating moment of the trip. Damn the expense and see for yourself.

Harar, Ethiopia

Like no place on Earth. Don’t miss the old market and the Hyena men.

Shendi, Sudan

Imagine having over 100 pyramids all to yourself.

Petra, Jordan

Not surprisingly one of the modern Wonders of the World. Spend a few days and check out the myriad paths.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Friends From The Road - Where Are They Now?

As i often remind Ying, it's the people in the world not the places. I enjoyed the company of many, but the following are people i have stayed in contact with throughout the trip.
 
Darrin (Windhoek, Namibia)
Darrin is currently in London recuperating from his shocking experience in Dar-Es Salaam. He hopes to return to Tanzania to collect his Landy and continue up East Africa

Josef (Windhoek, Namibia)
After returning to Germany to sell his apartment, he returned to Africa again. Unfortunately he could not find anyone to share fuel costs on the mobile home but we spent a few days together in Addis. Great to catch up with him again and he is happy to take me round the Stans in his monster truck at some point. 

Jandre (Port St John’s, South Africa)
Jandre works with his father in a multi-million pound banking business. He takes time off to continue to surf around the Wild Coast

Steve (Port St John’s, South Africa)
With no email account, contact has been difficult. Nonetheless i continue to send him marijuana seeds which he farms in the Transkei as well as breeding his Siamese fighting fish and running his wormery,

Grant (Port St John's, South Africa)
Grant is now working for Hostel World on Cable TV. We missed each other by 2 weeks in Tanzania and about two days in Petra.

Flipper (Port St John’s, South Africa)
Flipper returned back to Sweden, before embarking on a brief sojourn to The Ganj and Dharamsala. Now back in Sweden, she is applying for medical school.

James and Pippa (Ibo Island, Mozambique)
James has finally found work on a boat in Saudi Arabia. Pip’s has decided to leave her documentary making career to become an international teaching career.

Stef (Ibo Island, Mozambique)
I met Steff again in Addis – great to catch up with him again as he slowly meanders his way back to Holland

Lij Fire (Nkarta Bay, Malawi)
Lij Fire was arrested for possession but is currently out of prison

P. (Bunyoni Island, Uganda) 
After six months on the road, P. is now back in the United States living with his sister in Seattle as he looks for a return into the workforce
Loco Lobo (Bunyoni Island, Uganda)

After a great few days in Haifa, Loco Lobo is planning trips to Berlin, Poland and back to tribal areas in Southern Ethiopia.

Jimmy and Jenny (Fort Portal, Uganda)
Currently helping out the wildlife population in Bangladesh with their dog Princess.

Derbo (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
Derbo has just a few months left to go before he graduates from his college. Unfortunately his mother is very sick and in a Lalibela hospital.

Lindsey (Gonder and Lalibela)
Spiritual daughter is now back in London where she has just handed in her notice at work as she looks for an international posting.

Milan (Abri, Sudan)
Milan returned back to the Cezh Republic in early March. Back on the farm, i may try and do a side trip whilst in Europe to stay on his farm.

Casper (Luxor, Egypt)
Casper is back in the States where he continues his massage business and planning to spend the summer in Alaska using his wilderness survival skills I have put him in contact with Seth as he is interested in continuing his survival skills with the San in Namibia/South Africa

Elizabeth (Luxor, Egypt)
A sad farewell in Jerusalem. Her sabbatical is now at an end and she returns to her community college in Michigan.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Fast Facts

Countries visited: Officially 14 (15 if Palestine is included as a separate entity)

Miles Covered: Approximately 15,000

Border Crossings: 16 (17 if included “Security Barrier” in Israel)

48GB memory cards of photos

3 toothbrushes

7 tubes of toothpaste

14 razor blades

6 cans of deodorant

3 baseball caps

2 thefts – mobile phone and head-torch in Pemba, Tanzania and electronic mosquito repellent in Ezulwini Valley, Swaziland

2 bouts of colds/flu – Malawi and Egypt

Other sicknesses/illnesses – absolutely nothing

1 mass peeling session – Mozambique